This invention relates to a mattress supporting cabinet for supporting both conventional and xe2x80x9csoft sidedxe2x80x9d bedding. The disclosed mattress supporting cabinet has integral and recessed drawers which in the absence of hardware can be opened by pressure on the drawer face for convenient opening. The recessed drawer design is individually disclosed.
It has long been desired to place drawers under box spring and mattress units in the bedroom. However, since the standard dimension available between the bottom of the box spring and the floor surface on which the bed rests is generally only 7 inches, previous attempts at such drawer placement have met with at least some of the following difficulties.
First, the disclosed cabinet must generally replace a metal bed frame. It must have generally the same height and dimension and yet allow for maximum storage capacity.
Second, the prior art has included so-called xe2x80x9cface framesxe2x80x9dxe2x80x94a decorated pre-finished front from which the drawers move to and from a closed position. Such face frames not only cause the drawer fronts to protrude into the spatial interval under the bed, but additionally are expensive. Such face frames when used with under bed drawers of the prior art have resulted in expensive and impractical designs.
Third, drawers have made relatively inefficient use of the space under beds. Usually, drawers are shallowxe2x80x94on the order of four inchesxe2x80x94and in the closed disposition protrude from under the bed. Commonly, such drawers utilize so-called center slidesxe2x80x94which center slides protrude into and occupy the depth interval of the drawer that would otherwise be available. Further, many units containing drawers raise the bed to which they are attached. When this occurs, such changes in dimension from standard are readily apparent.
Fourth, it has not been generally possible to include in a single stock keeping unit such a drawer organizer device which can fit double beds, queen sized beds, and king sized beds. As the proliferation of xe2x80x9cdoublexe2x80x9d bed sizes has occurred, it is not practical to have separate stock keeping units for each size bed. The result has been that such under bed drawer units are not available.
Some of us have vended a below bed mounted drawer set that generally solves the above problems more than one year before the above Priority Application was filed. However, this unit was not successful in the market place. Specifically, in order for the drawers to be opened, it was required that the user bend to the floor, hook his finger under the lower front edge of the drawer, and pull the drawer to the open position. It was only upon trial in the field that we have discovered two factors.
First, it is not advisable to have hardware in such a location. Any kind of normal drawer opening hardware mounted under a mattress constitutes an unreasonable obstruction.
Second, users will not stoop to floor level for the opening of such drawers. While access from the top of such drawers was acceptable, stooping to open such drawers was not. In a surprising number of cases, users sit on such beds and access the drawer contents. This being the case, another simple way of effecting drawer opening had to be found.
What has resulted is a drawer construction that is not only useful under a mattress but has additional utility in cabinets of conventional construction.
A prior art single stock keeping unit for accommodating double, queen, and king sized beds with both support and under the bed drawers is equipped with foot actuated drawer opening. Each stock keeping unit includes faced box spring supporting paired face frame-less cabinets which are conveniently shipped stacked one upon another and are placed back to back when assembled for underlying box spring support. Each face frame-less cabinet includes two floor-contacting members, two box spring contacting members, and three vertical members including a head vertical member, a foot vertical member, and an intermediate vertical member. Conventional drawers on side mounted drawer roller bearing and slide guides to expose a finished drawer front without hardware for opening and closing. The floor contacting member adjacent the drawer front is recessed relative to the drawer front to permit relatively small retracting movement of the drawer on side mounted drawer roller bearing and slide guides, the slide having a recessed portion for holding the drawer in the closed position. A drawer construction with a detent-actuated spring is mounted between the drawer back and frame from which the drawer is supported. When the drawer is initially closed, the detent retracts and the side mounted drawer roller bearing and slide guides move to a recessed portion of the slides, maintaining the drawer closed. When opening is desired, further inward pushing against the detent mechanism causes detent expansion, the drawer supporting rollers are urged out of engagement to the slide recess, and opening occurs. An under bed mounted drawer is disclosed which may be easily opened from the reclining, sitting, and/or standing position.